Have a favourite LP that you’re prone to wax lyrical on for hours on end regardless of whether is listening or not? Consider your prose a deft mix of Lester Bangs wylin’ out copy, Theodor Adorno’s perceptiveness and George Orwell’s preciseness?  Want to see your work published by one of the leading and authoratative independent publishers in the world (and I’m not talking Bonafide here)?

If the answer is yes, keep reading.

Bloombsury Academic are requesting proposals for their excellent 33 1/3 series. The 33 1/3 are brilliant companion pieces to some of the most influential albums ever produced. Typically written in a way that manages to be both intellectually rigorous and engaging, the help create a fuller understanding of how an album was conceived. In the past I’ve enjoyed reading Eliot Wilder’s exploration of DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing and Dan le Roy’s dissection of how the Beastie Boys’ idiosyncratic approach to Paul’s Boutique – both books manage to bring you closer to the music and paint a picture of where music and popular culture of the time.

Check out the Bloomsbury blog for details on how to apply and view the full list of albums that have been covered so far – looking at my iTunes I reckon albums by A Tribe Called Quest, David Axelrod, Dr Dre, Massive Attack, The Streets, De La Soul, MIA or Quasimoto could be a good place to start if you’re thinking of contributing.

Bonafide set out with the aim to celebrate hip-hop. Our aim was to explore ‘old-school, mid-school and new-school creativity’, five issues on we’re proud to present the old school x new school issue. In hip-hop chronological order we speak to the Godfather of it all, Grandmaster Flash, profile EPMD, the funky Long Island duo from the golden age of rap and get crazy with ‘the lazy hustler’ and fourth Beastie Boy, Ricky Powell. Still in NYC, we speak to a leading voice for alternative hip-hop, EL-P, who, nearly 15 years on from the release of the Funcrusher Plus (as part of Company Flow), reveals that there’s plenty of drive left in the tank. From the West Coast we catch up with the revered turntablist and Beat Junkie, J Rocc.

In the new-school side of the magazine, we break bread with those responsible for some of the most exhilarating new sounds in British urban music. We have exclusives with DELS and Ghostpoet as they launch their careers with original and nuanced albums. For this issue’s roundtable we speak with the men behind Numbers, the Glasgow based record label that has rewritten the rulebook on how techno, electronic, R’n’B, house and hip-hop music should sound. And the resulting mutant strain of bass music is destroying dance floors the world over. On the visual side, we delve deep into the Brainfeeder psyche, speaking with designer and artist Charles Munka about his contribution to the label’s distinct art direction.

Buy an issue via the Bonafide shop and you will receive a redeemable code (sent via email within 48 hours) for a free copy of DELS’ Gob EP, including the original single and remixes by Dave Sitek of Tv on the Radio (catch a listen here), Untold and Ry9n. While stock lasts.

You can also buy Bonafide in the TATE Modern bookshop, Rough Trade, Fopp, Magma, all good online and physical record stores and for the first time, HMV, from May 15th.

Sony Ericsson are on the look out for ‘two new creative ambassadors for our newest smartphone, the Xperia ray’, the handsome beast pictured above. They want to know how you use your phone and any creative ideas and suggestions that can improve the experience, in exchange for them Sony will give the two successful ambassadors their latest smartphones and accessories to test out.

In tech terms this gig must be up there with the dude (or dudet) who gets to measure bra-cups in marks & sparks and interning for Wu Tang Clan.

To enter the competition visit the Sony Ericsson Test Lab Facebook page, where they want ‘someone who adds more of a creative dimension to the Test Lab…we want to see your blogs, songs, photos, videos, ideas: whatever it is that makes you tick. Email us at SETestlab@gmail.com by Friday 14th October and we’ll select the chosen 2 by Friday 21st October 2011.’

One of the most sorrowful images from the past five nights of violence has perhaps been the destruction of a Sony warehouse used primarily by distribution company PIAS. A storage home for countless independent labels, who for the most part operate on shoestring margins at the best of times, the events stand as a “horrible” setback, in the words of Beggars Banquet (home to 4AD, Rough Trade and XL Recordings) Chairman Martin Mills.

Massive losses have already been recorded for labels such as Lex, Young Turks, and the Ninja Tune/Big Dada imprint where a source had this to say;

“After a tense and upsetting night for London on Monday, Tuesday morning’s news was even more of a blow. It’s emblematic of the futility of what took place that small, independent companies releasing unusual, uncompromising music have suffered as a result of the riots. We’ll survive the destruction of our stock, and we hope very much that everyone else does too. We’d like the thank the public and the press for all their support, and of course we were just one part of much wider destruction, in which many people lost much more than their stock.”

Nearly a hundred labels have been reported as affected:

1234, 2020 Vision, Accidental, Ad Altiora, Adventures Close to home , Alberts , All City , Alt Delete, Ambush Reality, Angular, Ark, ATC, Atic, Atlantic Jaxx, Azuli, B Unique, Backyard, Bad Sneakers, Bandstock, Banquet, Beggars, Big Chill, Big Dada, Big Life / Nul / Sindy Stroker, Boombox, Border Community, Boysnoize, Brille, Bronzerat, Brownswood, Buzzin Fly, Can You Feel It, Catskills, ChannelFly, Chemikal Underground, City Rockers, Counter, D Cypher, Dance To The Radio, Deceptive, Def Jux, Dirtee Stank, Divine Comedy, Domino, Drag City, Drive Thru, Drowned in Sound, Duophonic, Eat Sleep / Sorepoint, Electric Toaster, Emfire, F. Comm, Fabric, Faith And Hope, Fantastic Plastic, Fargo, FatCat, Feraltone, Finders Keepers / Twisted Nerve, Fingerlickin’, Flock, Free Range, From The Basement, Full Time Hobby, Goldsoul, Gronland, Groove Attack, Halftime, Hassle ,Heron. Hum&Haw, Independiente, Info UK, Join Us, Kartel, Kensaltown, Kitsune, Kompakt, Laughing Stock, Leftroom, Lex, Lo Max, Loose, Love Box, Lowlife, Lucky Number, Marquis Cha Cha, Memphis Industries, Merok, Metroline, Mute, Naïve, Nation, Navigator. New World, Ninja Tune, Nuclear Blast ,One Little Indian, Output / People in the Sky / Process, Pale Blue, Palm, Peacefrog, PIAS Recordings, PIP 555 Productions, Play To Work, Powerhouse (T2), Propaganda / Ho Hum, Raw Canvas, Red Grape, Red Telephone Box, Rekids, Renaissance, Respect Productions (PES digital), Reveal Records, SMG, Rock Action, Roots, Rough Trade, Rough Trade Comps, Rubyworks, Ruffa Lane, Search And Destroy, Secret Sundaze, Secretly Canadian / Jagjaguwar / Dead Oceans, Sell Yourself, Setanta, Shatterproof, Sideone Dummy, Slam Dunk, Smalltown, Soma, Something In Construction, Sonar Kollectiv, Soul Jazz, Southern Fried, Stranded Soldier, Subliminal, Sunday Best, TARGO, Taste, Ten Worlds, Thrill Jockey, Total Fitness, Touch And Go, Track And Field, TriTone, Trouble, Try Harder, Turk, Turnstile, Twenty 20, Underworld, Union Square, Urban Torque, Vagrant, Vice, Victory, Wagram , Wall Of Sound, Warp, Wi45 , Wonky Atlas, Word And Sound, Xtra Mile, You Are Here.

While the list is still open to fluctuation, it is still a staggering loss, with some of the most respected labels in the country suffering at the hands of mindless thugs. Sad times all round.

Last year hip-hop lost one of its greatest icons. Such was the reputation that Guru, or Keith Edward Elam to use his government name, built during his lifetime that the legacy he leaves behind needs very little introduction. Sadly though, much of the coverage in the immediate aftermath of Guru’s passing focussed on controversies involving the likes of forged letters and the state of various personal relationships at the expense of the musical legacy he left behind. So, with what would have been Elam’s 50th Birthday arriving on 17th July, it seems worth the running the risk of preaching to the converted to put this right and celebrate the life and work of a true hip-hop legend.

Over a long and successful recording career Guru collaborated with artists as diverse as Donald Byrd, Scarface and even Emma B from the Spice Girls (really). But it is his work with DJ Premier that most heads will remember best. Hip-hop has seen some pretty formidable rapper/producer partnerships over the years, but even amongst the exalted company of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Mobb Deep, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, Show & AG and the like, Gang Starr stand tall as the greatest of all time.

Over Sixteen years and six studio albums together, Guru’s hard but intelligent monotone flows over Premier’s tough-as-they-come beats and scratches came to define what New York boom-bap should sound like. By their sixth and final studio album together, the pair could justifiably claim to be the ‘Owners’ of the genre. In a culture that too often only acknowledges its greatest talents after they’re gone, the love and recognition Guru and Preem received during their time working together is all the more special.

Throughout his career Guru also worked on numerous other side-projects. He produced four volumes of his Jazzmatazz series, collaborating with some of the biggest names of the jazz world along the way. He also released a raft of solo material under various guises, founded his own Ill Kid Records imprint and guested on a numerous other releases from artists as diverse as Nenah Cherry and DJ Krush. In his later years, Guru’s relationship with DJ Premier broke down and by the time he passed away, some of his aspects of his life seemed to resemble a surreal soap-opera.
Still, that’s not what fans will remember about the man, and over the course of his career, Guru’s distinctive rhymes featured on countless classic tracks. More often than not they also featured the handywork of a genuine super-producer in the shape of DJ Premier.

Below is a small selection of some Guru appearances from throughout his career. Its by no means a definitive collection, and while it seemed strange leaving out some stone-cold classics like (deep breath) Just to get a Rep, Check the Technique, Mass Appeal, Work, Full Clip, Code of the Streets, B.Y.S, all those tracks are pretty well-known and easy find for those that aren’t familiar. Instead here are a few of Guru’s less often-heard moments including collaborations, remixes and B-sides. Happy birthday Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal. Gone but never forgotten.

1987 Gang Starr – Bust A Move
Gang Starr were very much still in their formative years here, as a fresh-faced Guru shares mic duties with fellow Bostonians Damo and Mike D. DJ Premier hadn’t joined the party yet either – production here is ably handled by Mark the 45 King.

1992 Gang Starr – Ex to Next remix
With Primo on board, Gang Starr were well into their stride by the time this 12” from their third album ‘Daily Operation’ dropped. Primo serves up a tougher beat and different scratch hook for this alternate version.

1992 – Heavy D & The Boys – A Buncha Niggas
A heavy-weight posse cut here featuring 3rd Eye, Rob-O, Biggie, Busta Rhymes, Heavy D and of course the bald head pimpster himself.

1995 – Guru Ft. Chaka Khan – Watch What you Say
This track is lifted from the second volumes of his Jazz-rap side project Jazzmatazz. During the course of these albums he worked with numerous legends including Issac Hayes, Herbie Hancock, Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers. Alongside Guru, this track features the legendary Chaka Khan doing her thing over a perfectly matched Primo beat.

1996 – DJ Honda – What You Expected?
Here Guru lays down his monotone flows over a crisp Roy Ayres loop, flipped by Japan’s finest, while Primo gets busy with the cuts.

1998 – N’dea Davenport – Bring It On (Premier & Guru Mix)
Guru and Preem lend a hand to one-time Brand New Heavy N’dea Davenport and toughen up a track from her self-titled album in the process.

1998 Gang Starr – Militia (Soul Brother Remix)
Guru’s obituary in the Guardian, written by Garth Cartwright, concluded with a sideswipe accusing Guru of emulating ‘minor Boston rapper and criminal’ and Gang Starr affiliate Big Shug in ‘behaving thuggishly’. As Guru once rapped: ‘Chumps like you, I gotta keep ‘em in line’ and here Guru shows what he will rightfully be remembered for – making dope music without compromise.

1999 Easy Moe Bee – Soul
Definitely one of the less well-known Gang Starr outings, this track is from Easy Mo Bee’s Now Or Never: Odyssey 2000 album. Wax-collectors may be interested to hear it is also available on promo-only yellow vinyl.

1999 Gang Starr – Battle
This track featured on a sampler taken from the 8 Mile soundtrack. Living up to the track’s title Guru and Preem offer an open invitation to would-be challengers.

2000 Kreators – Home
Brooklyn might have been where he dwelled, but Guru was a proud Boston native. Here he gives his hometown some dap alongside some of the city’s other MC exports.

2002 Gang Starr – Natural
This track was the B-side to the first single from the final Gang Starr album. As the man himself puts it: ‘Once again Brains open as I go half with Premier’. True indeed. Rest in peace.

Words: Nat Lentell

One of the world’s greatest wordsmiths, Gil Scott-Heron, has died in hospital in NYC, aged 62. Often coined as the Godfather of Rap, a title that he refused to acknowledge – and little wonder given his anti-commercialist sentiments – he preferred instead the term Black American Musician.

A career spanning some forty odd years saw him perform poetry and spoken word, often backed by jazz and blues with a heavy African influence. He published two novels, The Vulture and The Nigger Factory, penning the first of these at the age of 19.

Though he disputed his place in the founding church of hip-hop, his influence on the genre is unarguable, and one need only look to the cache of samples to see how revered he was, and will no doubt continue to be, among young musicians in the hip-hop community.
Pulling no punches, Scott-Heron’s music was never shy of tackling the prevalent socio-political issues of the day, in a 1970s America fraught with the frustrations of the Viet Nam War and the fight for black civil rights post-Malcom X and MLK.

Songs such as Did You Hear What They Said? and Pieces of A Man deal with the struggles of black men in a society that had come to be driven by power hungry whites, high off their new wars against the communists. Whitey On The Moon is a perfect illustration of how America’s space race with the Soviet Union led to the government’s gross oversight of the myriad social problems that Scott-Heron would have seen while living in the Bronx. Yet it is still difficult to imagine a time when his words won’t ring true in some form or other.

His 2010 LP, I’m New Here received critical acclaim while We’re New Here, the remix album with Jamie xx highlighted Scott-Heron’s influence on a new generation of music lovers.

Do yourself a favour today and switch off the TV kids.

Words: John Whybrow

Yup, that’s right kids, for a limited time only you can read all back issues of your favourite art design and music magazine (or ‘a fucking hip-hop guide book’, according to Raekwon) online at Issuu.

We enjoy wasting the day away on the Internet whilst pretending to do work as much as the next person, but Bonafide is essentially a print magazine and in order to keep it that way we need to sell it. And to encourage you to buy it we’re giving away a free album from the legendary BBE records with every 2 issues ordered via our online shop. And that’s what we like to call bullshit free marketing.

Courtesy of the good folk over at Black Dog Publishing we have 3 pairs of copies of the first and latest instalment of the piously good Labels Unlimited series up for grabs. The collection includes editions on UK Indie music royalty Rough Trade and Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate Records but in Warp and Ninja Tune Blackdog have nailed 2 of our favourite electronic labels, and you can get a 40% discount on the books by quoting ‘Bonafide’ at checkout.

Warp records need little introduction. The label that began life in Sheffield continues to tread new ground in the world of electronic, left field hip-hop, experimental music and even art school rock (in the shape of !!! and Maximo Park), with acclaimed releases by the likes of Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, Jamie Lidell and Prefuse 73 among many more. 2010 has been something of a coronation for Ninja Tune as the label marks 20 years in the biz. Stevie Chick’s encyclopaedic and gloriously entertaining tome, Ninja Tune:20 Years of Beats and Pieces – exclusively excerpted in the current issue of Bonafide – accounts the early years of Jonathan Moore and Matt Blacks adventures as Coldcut, and the decision to channel their frustrations at major label treatment into their own maverick set up, Ninja Tune. Always quick to embrace technology and visuals within music, Ninja Tune and it’s hip-hop leaning little brother Big Dada has left an indelible mark on independent music in the UK and indeed the world.

To stand a chance of winning a pair of these handsome swines answer this question: name an artist to have released albums on both Ninja Tune and Warp records? Send your answers into mailto:mailbox@bonafidezine.com with Labels Unlimited books comp in the subject heading. Competition deadline is the 31st December. Winners will be notified in the first week of January which should make provide a welcome pick-up for the post Christmas blues.

Palladium Boots have hooked up with number one Jackass Johnny Knoxville to make this excellent documentary. Detroit Lives, investigates how different groups are striving to re-generate the crumbling the home of American automobile industry and Mowtown. Checkit.

With the World Cup now over the big boys can focus their efforts on Retro re-releases and new grails instead of million pound advertising campaigns on players who had tournaments to forget.

Adidas have thrown up another fruity range from fashion designer Jeremy Scott. Here we see the Adidas Forum in many incarnations some eye catching (the license plate blue’s) and some downright terrifying (the Teddy Bear Highs look like something Gary Glitter dreamed up).

As always the Jeremy Scott selection is more for the uber expensive high fashion crowd than the traditional sneaker heads who think exhibition shoes are a pair of OG 1’s with the original Jordan hang tang.

On the topic of premium Adidas have some slightly more universal albeit pricey collab’s due this autumn with Neighbourhood and the in house Y-3.

Continuing with the collaboration theme Asics have been doing some good work with Ronnie Fieg this summer. The most significant (and limited) is the Navy Aqua Gel Lyte III. Like all good brands Asics used a good deal of sex to turn some heads on this line using the not entirely unattractive Joli Robinson to model the Gel Lytes in various states of undress. Those looking for a Joli-less pair can hit up ebay for around two hundred American dollars.

The notable releases this summer from the big swoosh so far include the AM 90 Infrareds which are now becoming the equivalent of the Neon 95’s for the amount of times it has been re-released. Also worth mentioning is the rebirth of the fat tongue on the Nike SB Dunk lows as seen in the recent Chromeball shoe. Despite whispers of some heavily desired samples from a few years back threatening full release the rest of this years output bar a stunning Quickstrike look pretty dry from Nike SB.

Thanks to a couple of celebrity endorsements other than Ghostface Clarks has seen a spike with the Desert Kahn II being one of the most desirable shoes this summer. This smart dress shoe is now particularly sought by the loafers, haircut, shorts and no socks crowd and yours truly has already seen some emotional displays from people trying to track down a pair. Despite this current range being sold out we have been told that a restock is due by the end of the summer to avoid any riots or suicides.

Finally this month sees the return of legendary London sneaker boutique Foot Patrol at new premises in Soho. Now under the Size?/JD umbrella Foot Patrol will serve a range of exclusive and Tier Zero business, expert knowledge plus collectible shoes from years past as well as showcasing kicks from up and coming brands. Those that like to hang around the nearby Stringfellows in the early hours may notice a camp out or two for some special edition goodness in the coming months.

Omar ‘Model_500′ Francis